358 research outputs found
Epithelial permeability in asthma
No full textOur knowledge and understanding of asthma have evolved over time, leading to new and improved treatments for this disease. Despite existing treatments however, there remains to date a significant proportion of asthmatics who remain poorly controlled, with unmet needs. Most existing treatments are based on the Th2-driven inflammation model of asthma, however there is increasing recognition of the importance of the epithelium in asthma pathogenesis. It has been proposed that the asthmatic epithelium is chronically damaged and unable to repair, with increased permeability as a result. Existing treatments do not address the epithelial damage directly, however there are now available recombinant growth factors that have been shown to have beneficial effects on epithelial healing. Our hypothesis was that modification of the epithelium, in effect boosting its repair using recombinant human keratinocyte growth factor (rhKGF), would lead to improvement in clinical parameters.This was explored in several fashions. Firstly a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed using 20 poorly controlled, moderate asthmatics, with the active treatment group receiving parenteral rhKGF. Assessments before and after drug administration included objective, clinically relevant, measures of asthma such as airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) measurements, spirometric measures, exhaled nitric oxide measurements and peak flow recording. Subjective, patient-centred assessments were also made using questionnaires to assess asthma control and quality of life, and bronchoscopy was performed to obtain samples to measure biological effects of the drug. KGF treatment resulted in a significantly greater improvement in the primary outcome of mannitol AHR, together with greater improvements in quality of life in the active treatment group compared to placebo. Other features (such as methacholine AHR, asthma control questionnaire scores, spirometric values, exhaled nitric oxide and peak flow variability) did not differ significantly between the groups, although this may be due to a greater than expected placebo response. Biological outcomes also did not differ significantly between the groups, although this may have been due to the sampling time-point used.Concurrently to the clinical trial above, in vitro experiments were performed on cell cultures of epithelial cells from asthmatic and healthy donors, to verify and further explore the effects of KGF on an asthmatic epithelium. Specifically mechanical wounds were inflicted on the cultures, with assessment of the repair process using wound imaging, measurement of trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TER) and permeability to FITC-labelled dextran, in the presence and absence of KGF. As a subset of these experiments, some cultures were exposed to mechanical compression using air pressure, as a mimic for bronchoconstriction, to see if KGF was effective in these circumstances. Results confirm a biological effect for KGF on wound repair in the asthmatic epithelium, which can also partially overcome the deleterious effect of compression on wound healing. An intrinsic difference in wound healing between asthmatic and healthy cohorts, as previously reported, was not apparent.Lastly the potential of nuclear medicine imaging, to assess epithelial permeability, was explored, for its potential use in future studies of asthma treatments addressing the epithelium directly. Unfortunately this was halted after a pilot study suggested potential methodological flaws – the results and conclusions from this pilot study are presented here, with suggestions for future studies in this area
Lines in Fond Remembrance of Mrs. Dennison
No full textSong concerning the death of members of the Dennison family who perished in a house fire, 26 August 1878, in Birmingham, UKhttps://egrove.olemiss.edu/kgbsides_uk/1491/thumbnail.jp
Thomas Scott letter to Governor William Dennison, September 23, 1861
No full textLetter dated September 23, 1861, from Thomas A. Scott, Acting Secretary of War with the United States War Department, to Ohio Governor William Dennison. Scott states that the War Department requests no troops hereafter furnished by Ohio for the military service be uniformed in gray, which is the color generally worn by soldiers of the Confederate Army. He indicates that the blue uniform adopted for the United States Army is recommended as readily distinguishable from the enemy.
Dennison served as Ohio governor from January 9, 1860, through January 13, 1862, and largely organized the mobilization of Ohio's military service during the first years of the Civil War. He was the namesake of Camp Dennison, a training camp and medical post for the Union Army between 1861 and 1865 located near Dennison's hometown of Cincinnati
Asthmatic and normal respiratory epithelial cells respond differently to mechanical apical stress
No full textReview of Political Bossism in Mid-America: Tom Dennison\u27s Omaha 1900-1933
No full textOrville D. Menard\u27s Political Bossism in MidAmerica is an in-depth account of the political machine that controlled Omaha, Nebraska, during the first third of the twentieth century. Thomas Dennison, the man who stood at the helm of that machine, is the book\u27s central character, and the author scrutinizes Dennison\u27s long and colorful career from almost every imaginable angle. Furthermore, Menard keeps Dennison and his city in their national context. Tom Dennison was one of many pragmatic urban bosses who came to power in cities filled with immigrants needing powerful friends who could help them in times of need. In return for or in anticipation of that assistance, foreign born voters willingly supported their benefactors\u27 candidates for public office. Dennison also acted as a liaison between city hall and the legitimate and illegitimate business communities
Buckwheat allergy: a potential problem in 21st century Britain
No full textBuckwheat is commonly consumed in many parts of the world and has recently become more available in the UK. Buckwheat allergy is well recognised in parts of mainland Europe and Asia, typically associated with consumption of specific regional foods. No adult cases of buckwheat allergy in the UK have been reported in the literature. The authors present two cases of buckwheat allergy that presented to our UK allergy service recently. A 57-year-old man presented with anaphylaxis after eating home-baked bread prepared using buckwheat flour bought in France. In the second case, a 63-year-old lady presented with bronchospasm and urticaria after consuming health-food muesli. Sensitisation was confirmed in both cases by positive skin prick testing and specific IgE to buckwheat. Given the growing popularity of foods that may contain buckwheat, including ethnic and health-food ranges, buckwheat allergy is likely to become increasingly common in the UK
Our Creation Stories
No full textabstract: In commemoration of Mother’s Day, the Heard partnered with Creative Push, a multimedia art and oral history project that focuses on the most formative of human experiences: birth. Our Creation Stories is a short film featuring five Native women from across the Southwest sharing their stories of the changing history, culture, and traditions of birth. A moderated panel discussion followed with Nicolle Gonzales, founder of the Changing Woman Initiative and a certified nurse-midwife, Renee Dennison, artist, and Patrisia Gonzales PhD., author of Red Medicine: Traditional Indigenous Rites of Birthing and Healing
Case series reporting the effectiveness of mycophenolate mofetil in treatment-resistant asthma
No full textGlobal intimacy and cultural intoxication: Japanese and South Korean film in the twenty-first century
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Routledge via the link in this record.
Person-centred care in practice to improve a client’s quality of life
No full textRachel Walton and Tony Dennison offer a personal account of using the Planning Alternative Futures with Hope tool to fulfil the goals of a man with cerebral palsy, autism and visual impairment. As a learning disability nursing student, this article’s principle author (RW) worked with a man with a learning disability and autism, his family and care staff to develop a person-centred care plan based on the Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope tool. The staff team were open and responsive to this work and it is clear that the service user concerned has benefited from it and that his quality of life has improved. This article describes the background, development and delivery of the care plan from the author’s point of view
- …
